The Promise
by fizzmonkeys
Summary: Ginny loved Harry too much to let him go. She was so afraid that she would lose him for good and she couldn't let that happen. Harry tried to break things off with her before he left, but it was too hard for both of them to do.


Hermione and Ron met Harry at the Dursley's only one month after leaving Hogwarts. They had agreed to meet him there to help him get his things and then they would be on their way back to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Harry seemed subdued but with very good reason. Not only had he lost Dumbledore but he also had to give up something that he prized more than anything, his relationship with Ginny, but he couldn't risk anything happening to her. After all, soon he would be off to find and destroy the other horcruxes and then face Voldemort.

As Hermione and Ron helped Harry pack away his things, Ron sensed that the path that the three of them would be taking was not the only thing that was troubling Harry.

Ron hesitated and then finally managed to ask, "You alright, mate?"

Harry's response was nothing unexpected. "Well, I've certainly had better days; then again, they've been worse."

Correcting his question, Ron said, "No. I don't mean about You-Know-Who, I'm talking about Ginny."

One mention of her name and it could say a thousand words. It could make him feel hundreds of emotions all at the same time. But at the mention of her name now, it felt like a hard blow to his heart.

Harry and Ron had never really talked about his and Ginny's relationship before. It felt a little strange talking about it even now. The only thing that Harry could manage to ask was, "how's she doing?"

"Alright, I guess." Ron said, but he was quickly interrupted by Hermione. "She misses you terribly." Harry fell silently onto his bed with a heartrending look on his face and muttered, "I miss her too. But she has to understand that with Voldemort back and his death eaters following, I can't let them know how much …" Harry stopped what he was saying and took a deep breathe, sighing sadly "…they can't know how much she means to me, how important she is in my life. They can't know how much I-…I love her." Ron stood there with an astounded look on his face, but Hermione studied him for a moment and then finally said, "She understands how it has to be. It's just been so very hard on her. There isn't a day when she doesn't mention your name. And the poor dear, with Bill and Fleur's wedding tomorrow, no matter how busy she's been helping prepare things, there are times that I can see that she looks so lonely and heartbroken without you."

Harry's heart sank. He couldn't bear putting Ginny through so much pain, but he refused to let Voldemort or his followers hurt her in any way.

--The Burrow--

Harry woke up to sounds of people bustling about the house. Next thing he knew, Ron came bursting through the door. "Ah, you're awake. We were wondering how long you were going to sleep, mate." Harry didn't mention the reason for him being so tired. He had only slept for so long because he tossed and turned for half of the night with dreams of Ginny. Seeing her at the wedding, dancing with her, breathing in her intoxicating fragrance.

Ron broke in. "Mate! Did you hear me? I said Mum needs our help getting things set up for the wedding."

"Ok. Just let me get dressed and I'll be down to help."

Harry, Ron and Hermione had come in during the night while the rest of the house was asleep. As Harry came fumbling down the stairs, he ran into Fred and George who exchanged hellos and talked about how their joke shop was doing.

As he moved into the kitchen, Harry saw Mrs. Weasley working furiously, but before he could even say good morning, she spotted him and immediately dropped everything she was doing. Mrs. Weasley ran over to him giving him a big hug and said, "Oh Harry, it's so good to see you again. How are you, my dear? Have you been eating well?" Harry simply smiled and nodded. He was so glad to see Mrs. Weasley. After all, Harry always considered her his second mother. She was the closest thing to a mother that he had ever known.

Mrs. Weasley told him that Ron had just joined Charlie and Mr. Weasley and that he would find them in the back yard.

As Harry turned around to go and meet Ron, he and Ginny came face to face. Both of them stood there, not moving, for a moment. Then a slight smiled dawned on Harry's face, but Ginny, collecting herself, stepped back. "Hello Harry. How have you been?" Harry, noticing Ginny step back, took one step back as well. "I've been all right. Sometimes I have a hard time sleeping, but other than that, I'm ok.

Ginny, out of instinct, reached up her hand and brushed Harry's untidy hair from his eyes and then let her hand slip down to caress his cheek. She noticed his green eyes, which were once vibrant and full of life, now seemed tired and weary. But, Ginny could still see him. She could still see his heart and how it was aching so.

Harry, lost in the moment, quickly came back to his senses as he reached up and took her hand away from his cheek. "Ginny, you know that we can't…", sighed Harry. Remembering herself, Ginny's hand fell to her side and her heart sank. Somehow she managed to utter, "I know."

Picking up in step, Ginny turned to her mother to say, "Fleur is worried about the progress with things down here, but she won't believe me. Could you come up quickly to let her know that everything is fine?"

As Ginny turned to head back upstairs, she spun around to Harry and said, "You had better hurry if you're going to help them. Besides, you still have to get changed for the wedding." She smiled and rushed back upstairs.

--The Wedding--

Harry was standing by Ron and Hermione when the music began. He watched Bill and Charlie step into place. As everyone turned to look down the aisle, they saw Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, first. And then, there she was, Ginny. Harry couldn't help but stare. She was absolutely beautiful in the flowing sage green dress that she was wearing. Her fiery red hair was in curls that swept around her face and long, slender neck. As she walked up the aisle, her hair bounced, like a feather, with every step she took. Ginny became aware of Harry looking at her and she smiled within, but she quickly diverted her attention back to Bill and Charlie.

Throughout the ceremony, Harry couldn't help but gaze at Ginny. Her hair and dress would gently blow in the wind as it swept past her. He had never seen her so beautiful. All he wanted to do was run over to her and kiss her, passionately, deeply. But, Harry shook the thought out of his mind, remembering the path that his life would soon be taking.

After Bill and Fleur were officially pronounced husband and wife, a lavish dinner party followed, well prepared by Mrs. Weasley. Everyone was enjoying themselves immensely, talking and dancing. Harry laughed as he and Ron danced with Hermione, but as the music began to slow down, he retreated to a table in the back, near the house. His thoughts generally kept to what his plans would be tomorrow, but, on occasion, he would glance up and see Ginny dancing with Mr. Weasley. He would see her smiling face and imagine him holding her tightly in his arms, dancing without a care in the world.

He couldn't think about her. Every time he did, he came closer to giving in; he came closer to disregarding everything and sweeping Ginny up in his arms.

He sat there for an hour, periodically looking over at the dance floor, seeing Bill and Fleur dancing closely together. Harry also noticed that Ron and Hermione had taken up company together and had been dancing, inseparable, for most of the night. Despite his attempts to pay no attention to Ginny, he couldn't help but see her as she danced the night away with Bill, Charlie, Fred and George.

One recent dance with Bill seemed to stick out in his mind. He remembered watching her glide along the dance floor to a particularly romantic song. She had rested her head on Bill's shoulder and as she turned in Harry's direction, their eyes fixed on each other. Ginny gazed at him with such a heartbroken look in her eyes. It was tearing Harry to bits, not being able to be there is Bill's place.

As he continued to watch her dance with Bill, Harry saw a tear fall down her cheek. She quickly tried to wipe it away before anyone noticed. After all, this was to be a happy day, and she just couldn't ruin it for Bill.

As Harry recollected that particular memory, he became determined that he was going to enjoy some part of the evening. He wanted one more night with Ginny. Even if it was all that he would be able to have. Just one more night. He looked up from his fixed glare on his glass and began looking around for Ginny. But, she wasn't anywhere to be found. Harry began to worry, not knowing where she was, or if she was ok. But, from out of nowhere, there was a hand on his shoulder that had reached out to settle him. It was Hermione. Harry relaxed a little but, without delay, asked, "Where is she? Hermione, where's Ginny?" Hermione smiled slightly. "She's all right. She just went down to the pond. I think she was a little tired of putting on a happy face for everyone." Harry jumped up and rushed off, heading straight for the pond. Hermione, smirking, yelled out after Harry. "You're Welcome!"

The pond wasn't in close vicinity to the house. As Harry peeked around the hedges, he saw her there. She was sitting with her back to him, slowly kicking her feet back and forth in the water. She'd taken off her shoes after a long night of dancing and tossed them to the side. He stood there for the longest moment staring at her, his heart pounding in his chest, knowing that he shouldn't be there, but he wanted it so badly. Ginny, sensing him behind her, felt her chest tighten and her breathing become heavier. She felt a lump rise in her throat. "So, are you going to stand there and stare at me the rest of the night?"

Harry stunned that she was aware of him being there, walked over to the pond where she was sitting. "Is this seat taken?"

"Have a seat, Harry," replied Ginny. As he sat down next to her, on the bank of the pond, she looked at him and said, "I thought you said we shouldn't do this."

Knowing she was right, but not caring at the moment, Harry said, "No, we shouldn't. But I--…I don't care right now. I saw you dancing tonight and all I wanted to do was come and sweep you off your feet. I wanted to be with you. Even if it is just for tonight. But, I want to make sure that you understand why I have to do this Ginny. It's not like I want to. I just-- I can't let you get hurt. I can't let him get to you."

Ginny, now pleading with him, "Harry, please. I can't talk about it anymore. I just can't. I understand that you are doing this to protect me, but I can't let you go. You keep saying that if anything happened to me, you couldn't forgive yourself. Well, how do you think I'd feel? Huh, Harry? If something, God forbid, happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. There's not a single minute that goes by that I'm not thinking about you. I don't have a future without you. Harry, I can't lose you."

She was now crying into her hands. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it anymore. Harry's hands reached up and moved hers away from her face so that he could see her again. As he moved her hands away, she looked down, not wanting him to see her cry. He then cupped his hand under her chin and gently pulled her head up. The tears made her eyes glisten in the moonlight. He slowly wiped away the tears from her face and looking into her, deeply, he said, "Ginny, you know that I'd risk my life to be with you. There's not a day that I wouldn't give you my all. Whether I'm here or not, I'm still with you. I know that it probably isn't helping you to hear this, but listen with your heart. Ginny, I just…" Harry paused; his breathe catching in his throat. Ginny looked back at him, her eyes questioning what he was trying to say. "I've never told anyone this before. Ginny, I … I love you. And I'm going to do everything in my power to be able to come back to you. You're my world."

Ginny's heart was beating fast again. Only he could ever make her feel this way. She had chills run up through her. She didn't know what to say; she couldn't say anything even if she tried. Harry leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. He pulled back an inch or two and they both looked into each other's eyes again, wanting each other, needing each other. Harry kissed her once, softly, and tenderly. Feeling the passion ignite between them, they kissed fervently, deeper than ever before. After several long moments together, they broke apart.

Harry then heard Ginny say, "Can you just hold me? Hold me, even if it's only for tonight." Sighing deeply, Harry took her into his arms and embraced her with all his heart. As he held her, he breathed into her hair, "I'll hold you for the rest of my life."

Harry and Ginny sat together for hours just holding each other. Realizing that it had gotten quite late, he started to say that they better get back up to the house but he looked down and saw her sleeping peacefully in his arms. If only they could stay this way for the rest of their lives. If only they could grow old together.

Harry tried not to move her very much as he stood up. He reached back down and picked her up, carrying her limp body back to the house. When he reached the house everyone had already gone to bed except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. When Harry walked into the kitchen with Ginny in his arms, he was startled to see the two of them dancing around the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked up in astonishment. Mr. Weasley burst out, "There you two are. We were wondering what took you so long." Harry tried silencing Mr. Weasley so that he wouldn't wake Ginny.

"Well, we were down by the pond just spending some time together and it just flew by so fast. And then Ginny fell asleep, so I figured I'd better bring her back up here before it got too late. Tomorrow's a big day."

Mr. Weasley offered to take Ginny upstairs to put her in bed, but Harry insisted that he would do it. So, he said goodnight to them and made his way upstairs, as carefully as possible. Once he had made it to Ginny and Hermione's room, he opened the door quietly as to not wake either one of them. Walking over to Ginny's bed, he laid her down gently. He looked at her longingly, knowing that he could have stayed there watching her sleep all night long. Then he reached down and pulled out the sage green ribbon that was in her hair and then he took off her necklace and placed them both on her night table. Pulling the covers over her, he quietly tucked her into bed and then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Walking over to the door, he took one more look at her, and closed it softly.

--A New Path--

Harry hadn't gotten much sleep last night but he knew that they still needed to be out of the house before everyone woke up. Hermione came into his and Ron's room attempting to wake them up. "Harry, get up, get up. We need to be going shortly. Wake Ron up, I've got to go back to my room and finish getting everything together."

Harry finally managed to drag himself out of bed and even get Ron to moving around. He had most of his things already prepared to go. So, he got dressed and put away what little he had taken out. Ron was still trying to get his things packed away but they hadn't seen Hermione since she came in to wake them up. Turning to Ron, Harry said, "Hurry up and get the rest of your things together. I'm going to Ginny's room to check on Hermione. Meet me there in a minute." Ron nodded sleepily and Harry grabbed his things and headed down to Ginny's room.

He knocked on the door quietly and Hermione quickly opened it. She looked a little panicked and Harry noticed. Trying not wake Ginny, he whispered, "You sure you want to do this Hermione?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have said I'd go with you if I didn't mean it. I'm just a little uneasy because I didn't get much rest last night." Changing the subject quickly, "I don't think Ginny got much sleep either. She's been tossing and turning with fits all night. What time did you two get in anyway?"

Half answering Hermione's question as he walked across the room to Ginny, he said, "late."

There she was, now sleeping peacefully again. He quietly sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned across to wipe the strands of hair from her face. Hermione had now finished packing up her things and noticed Harry gently taking care of Ginny.

He tucked her into bed a little more and leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. As he started to move back, he bent down and whispered in her ear, "I'll love you for all eternity." Then, realizing that he wanted to leave her something, and not knowing what to give to her, he reached into his trunk and pulled out his Marauder's Map and one of his school robes, and laid them on the edge of her bed. He touched her one last time and then turned away to leave the room.

Of course, Ron chimed in unceremoniously, rolling his eyes, 'Ugh. I didn't want to see that." Hermione punched him on the arm, "Let them have a moment. We don't know how long it will be before we see everyone again."

"It's ok Hermione. Ron's just yanking my chain. He understands, don't you mate?" asked Harry.

"Yeah."

The three of them left the room and headed downstairs to leave. As the door closed, Ginny woke abruptly. She saw Harry's Marauder's Map and robe on the edge of the bed. She knew they were gone. She didn't know how long it had been since they had been in the room, but she ran downstairs anyway, hoping beyond hope that they might still be there. She reached the kitchen but she didn't see them anywhere. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the back door open, and then there they were.

They had already apparated somewhere, but had to come back. Ron had forgotten something. They started to leave again, but Ginny caught them, yelling out Harry's name. They all stopped and turned around. Harry noticed Ginny standing there, still in her dress from last night and she still looked beautiful. She ran toward him with an intense look in her eyes and jumped into his arms. Harry knew that if she didn't have this last moment with him, she might never forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye. She kissed him long and hard, not wanting to let him go, but she reluctantly pulled away. She held his face and looked at him seriously, "Harry Potter. You promise that you're going to come back to me." Harry looked at her hesitating to say anything. "No, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You must promise that you will come back home to me." Harry didn't know what to do; all he could do was give her an evasive smile.

Ginny turned and hugged Ron, giving him a peck on the cheek. And then to Hermione, she said goodbye with a hug. Ginny stepped back for a moment looking at the three of them. "You three had better take good care of each other. And as for you two," she said looking at Ron and Hermione, "you bring Harry back home to me. Alive."

Looking back in Harry's direction, Ginny said one more goodbye and kissed him sweetly. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she leaned up and whispered into his ear, "Promise." Harry, against his better judgment, breathed back, "I promise."

Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone again.

--Letter from the Burrow--

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been traveling for months now. They were all weary from the long journey. It had certainly taken its toll on all of them. However, as of last night, they had found all of the horcruxes and destroyed them. The only thing left now was to find Voldemort and finish it with him.

The three of them decided to take a day to rest and gather up their strength. They hadn't had any contact with the Weasley family, after all, they had told them not to try sending any letters in case they were intercepted by Voldemort. However, on this particular day, as they were sitting by a lake eating lunch, they heard an owl in the distance, heading straight for them. It was Pig. As he landed beside Ron, he stuck out his leg and let him untie the letter from it.

Ron opened the letter and said, "It's from Mum. But, I'm having a hard time reading it, it's all splotchy and the ink's run a lot." Hermione grabbed the letter from him and started trying to read it.

_Dear Kids,_

_We know what dangers we might have put you in, trying to get this letter to you, but we had no choice but to send you word. This may upset you a little, especially you Harry, but we didn't know what else to do. The ministry hasn't been any help to us. The rest of the Order has been searching all through the night, but we haven't had any luck. And as if you couldn't tell, I'm a little distraught right now. _

_Last night, Voldemort sent some of his death eaters to the Burrow. They've taken Ginny._

_We don't know where she could be. They stormed in during the middle of the night and took her from her bed. The only reason we knew so soon was because we heard her screaming._

_I don't know how far along you are with the horcruxes, but please, find Ginny. You may be closer to him than we are. Please, I beg you, find her and bring her back home with you all, safe and sound._

_I love you, Ron. And you too, Harry and Hermione. You are as much my children as Ron and Ginny are. _

_Please hurry!_

_Mum_

Hermione's hands fell into her lap, still holding on to the letter. Harry snatched it from her hands and read again, "_They've taken Ginny…Please hurry!"_

Harry began to gather his things hastily, completely disregarding his half eaten lunch. Ron and Hermione, following Harry's actions, said, "But we don't even know where Voldemort is."

"I don't care! I'm going to find him. He's got Ginny and I refuse to let him hurt her in any way! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something did happen to her," snapped Harry.

Harry began to trek off as Ron and Hermione gathered up their things and quickly rejoined him.

--the Aftermath--

Ginny fought as much as she could, but Voldemort only overpowered her. He was preparing to kill her, Avada Kedavra, but she wouldn't be able to block it in enough time, and she knew it. In the brief moment right before the words came from his mouth, she uttered, "I love you Harry."

From out of nowhere came a great blow and it hit Voldemort fast and hard. Ginny didn't open her eyes, she was afraid to find out what she was going to see. Slowly, she opened them to see Harry, now dueling with Voldemort and yelling at her to run for cover. But she didn't want to leave him there alone. She got up, grabbed her wand, and rushed to his side. "No," she said, "I'm helping you."

Harry struggled to say, "I can't risk you again. Now go, please."

As Harry tried to hold Voldemort off, one of his death eaters had managed to find them again and as he ran into the opening of the field, he shot a spell at Ginny. She remembered losing the feeling in her body and then she couldn't move. Ron and Hermione had rushed in only to late for Ginny. They both hit the death eater with spells that permanently disabled him.

Harry while trying to hold Voldemort off, was more concerned about Ginny. He kept trying to get her attention. "Ginny, come on. Ginny, stay with me." He let out a scream of pain as the spell that Voldermort was casting on him started to take its toll. "Ginny, I'm here. Please don't leave me." As Ginny started to lose consciousness, she saw Hermione and Ron gather around Voldemort to finish him off.

--The Promise--

Ginny woke with a jolt. She was shaking uncontrollably. She looked around and didn't recognize where she was. "_Where am I? Was it all just a dream? Where are Harry and the others?"_ She looked around anxiously, for a sign of anything. Something to give her a clue as to what had happened and where she was. Then, a woman walked through the door. "Oh goodness. You're awake. We were beginning to worry about you. You gave us quite a big scare."

Ginny, frustrated with not knowing what was going on, shouted out, "Where am I? What happened? Where's Harry?"

The woman, trying to calm her down, said, "It's ok, sweetie. You're at St. Mungo's. I'm your attending nurse. From what we were told, you were in a bit of a predicament earlier this evening. You and another young man were brought in a few hours ago, by a red-haired boy and a kinky brown-haired girl. They said they were friends of yours. I believe they just stepped out to get some coffee. "

Ginny, relieved to finally know where she was, began to get a little panicky again. It wasn't a dream; it was all real. "You said that they brought in another young man with me? Is he ok? Where is he?"

"Calm down, sweetie. It won't do you any good to get all worked up," said the nurse.

"If you call me sweetie one more time, there's no telling what I might do. Now, what happened to the young man that was brought in and where is he?" Ginny began to lose her grip. She was more than positive that the nurse was referring to Harry and she wanted to know if he was ok, if he was even still alive.

"Well, we're not sure if he's going to make it. He came in injured very badly and extremely weak. Right now he's in the intensive care ward."

Ginny jumped out of bed and raced out of the room as the nurse called after her. "You can't go into the intensive care ward. No one is allowed. You have to come back to bed."

She ran down the hallway, frantically trying to find out what floor she was on, so that she could then find Harry. She rushed down a few flights of stairs and made her way to the I.C. ward. Ginny didn't know what room he was in and she didn't want to risk asking someone, in fear that they'd force her to go back to her room. She looked through every window trying to see if she could find Harry. Bingo! She burst through the door and was immediately frozen in her place. There he was, the love of her life. He looked so fragile laying there. He wasn't moving.

A huge knot rose in Ginny's chest. "_No, NO!" _she thought_. "I can't lose him now. This has got to mean something. He came back alive. He promised."_

She rushed over to his side, sitting in the chair near his bed. It was killing her to look at him, lying there almost lifeless. She wiped his messy hair from his eyes once more and kissed him softly. "Come on, Harry. Wake up. Wake up! You can't leave me like this. You made a promise to me. You promised that you'd come back home to me, alive. Well, you're here but I want you to stay that way. Do you understand me Harry Potter!" She had become so upset now that she began to cry hysterically. She picked up his hand and kissed it tenderly, breathing between cries, "I didn't even get to tell you that I love you."

She laid her head down on his bed, still holding on to his hand and crying, as she fell asleep.

The next morning, Ginny woke up in the same spot that she had fallen asleep in. There she was, by Harry's side. She thought that once they found her that they would have taken her back to her room. Thankfully, no one had. As she rubbed her eyes, she looked at Harry for any sign of change. He still looked extremely frail, but she thought his cheeks looked like they had a little more color in them.

As Ginny began to stretch out a bit, she noticed two figures sitting in the opposite corner of the room. She almost fell out of her chair. Sitting there was Ron and Hermione. "How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"I'd be a lot better if he would just wake up and let me see those green eyes of his and flash me one of his coy smiles. What are you two doing in here anyway? I thought no one could come in the intensive care rooms?" Ginny questioned.

"Well, you certainly walked right over that rule there, didn't you?" claimed Ron.

"Oh, pipe down, Ron." Hermione said. "Well, apparently we have special circumstances, according to the ministry. Last night they rushed in here after you had just fallen asleep. But we asked that they didn't wake you, because you'd put up a good fight. At first they didn't care what we said, but when your Mum and Dad came in with the Minister of Magic, everything was suddenly ok. Considering that we saved all of their tails."

"What do you mean? I only remember things up until the two of you showed up and started to help Harry with Voldemort. What happened?" Ginny looked at both of them inquiringly.

"Well," started Hermione, "we started to help Harry, but Voldemort quickly turned back and hit us with a spell. He started in for Harry again, but as we managed to get back up, the Order arrived. With Voldemort's and Harry's wand connected, it held him at bay, allowing us to attack him with such a force that he couldn't withstand. However, when Voldemort died, it did something to Harry. We don't know what happened. As soon as we killed Voldemort, Harry collapsed. His body began seizing, and then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. And he's been this way since."

"The healers don't know what's wrong with him. Then again, they keep telling us that he's a special case, that they've never had anything like this before. He's in a comma and they don't know how long he'll be this way. It could be days, weeks, months, even years. He might not make it at all. They just don't know."

Ginny became paler with every word that Hermione said. "Could you two give me a few minutes with him?"

"Sure. Ron, let's go. We'll go and visit with your parents and the rest of the Order. They're in the waiting room. We'll be back later." Hermione said as she and Ron left the room.

Ginny began crying again. She had never cried so much in her life, as much as she had within the last year. She kissed Harry's hand repeatedly. "I tried to let you go before, but I couldn't do it then, and I'm not going to do it now. I refuse to give up on you. So, as long as it takes Harry, I'll be here. I won't leave your side. I'll be waiting to see your eyes when they open. To tell you that I love you."

A few days passed. As promised, Ginny hadn't left his side. Many healers had come in and out of his room, none of them helping Harry. Everyone began to worry about Ginny because she wasn't getting much rest or enough food to eat. Despite their tries to get her to rest, Ginny remained.

The next night, as Ginny sat in her chair with her head lying on the side of his bed, something changed. Harry's eyes slowly opened. He winced with pain and then noticed the red-haired girl lying there with her head on his bed. He looked around and didn't see anyone else in the room with them. Harry started to wake her; instead he studied her for just a moment more. "_They were both alive_." Thinking to himself and sighing with relief. "_They were both alive._"

Harry reached out his hand and gently touched Ginny's head, running his fingers through her hair. She moaned a little, waking from her sleep. Her neck was hurting from sleeping the same way for the past several nights, but she didn't care. As she looked up to Harry's face, she stood up to clear his hair from his eyes. And suddenly, there he was. Awake, alive. She almost fell backwards into her chair. "Hello," he said simply.

Standing their in a state of shock, Ginny couldn't move. Finally realizing what was going on, she flung herself on him. She began kissing him, over and over again.

"Ow, ow, ow," Harry said. "You've got to be a little more careful with me here."

"Oh God, Harry. I'm so sorry." Ginny said, jumping off of him.

Harry grabbed her by the shoulders to relax her. "It's ok. I'm here, like I promised." He pulled her in and kissed her hard. Emotion had no boundaries today. After finally breaking apart, Harry looked at Ginny and said, "Was I dreaming, or was there something that you were trying to tell me while I was sleeping?"

Blushing, as only he could make her, Ginny whispered, "Yes, there was something." She paused before continuing. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Harry Potter!" She gently hit him on the arm. "I mean, making me think that I was going to lose you. Do you know how furious I was going to be with you if you up and died on me?"

Harry began to laugh at her. Ginny looked back at him with an astounded look on her face, but she couldn't suppress her laughter any more. There they sat, laughing as they hadn't in a long time.

As their laughter died, Ginny became serious again. "There really was something. Do you remember that night that we spent out by the pond and you told me that whether you were here or not, you would always be with me?"

Harry forced the lump out of his throat. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, you told me something else too," Ginny continued. "Something that I never told you back. I love you too, Harry." She breathed heavily as if a weight had been lifted from her. She finally said it, not just to herself or to him sleeping. She said with him being able to hear it. "I've loved you all of my life and I'll never stop loving you."

Harry reached up and held her face, running his thumb over her lips gently. "Ginny, I don't know where my life will take me, but I know there's not a day that I want to spend without you." His heart began to beat furiously and his breathing became short and heavy. Relaxing a little, he went for it. "Ginny, will you marry me?"

She stood there too flabbergasted to even breathe. Moments later, a big smile stretched across her face, when Hermione and Ron came walking through the door.

"Mate, you're awake!" exclaimed Ron, as he and Hermione ran over to his bed.

"That's not the only good news," Ginny said. "We're getting married!"

No longer was there a grin on Ron's face, instead his eyes were now as big as a bug and his jaw had dropped. "You're what?"

Harry looked at Ginny, happier than he had been his entire life. "Are you sure?"

Ginny replied without hesitation, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

They now had many reasons to celebrate this evening. Not only were Harry and Ginny ok, but they were now engaged to be married, and Voldemort would never exist again.


End file.
